Built Different: Training for the Female Physiology, with Olympian Shannon Rowbury & PT Jessica Dorrington

14 snips

Jan 29, 2026

Guest

Jessica Dorrington

Guest

Shannon Rowbury

Shannon Rowbury, Olympian middle-distance runner and author, and Jessica Dorrington, physical therapist and pelvic floor specialist, discuss training for pregnancy, postpartum, and perimenopause. They cover safe strength work, trimester-by-trimester adaptations, modifying running and cross-training, recovery timelines, fueling needs, and practical routines for moms returning to sport.

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INSIGHT

Exercise Benefits Mother And Baby

Maternal exercise benefits both mother and baby, reducing gestational diabetes and improving placental function.
Activity in pregnancy also supports labor outcomes and baby's development.

INSIGHT

Rethinking Diastasis Recti

Diastasis recti is inevitable during pregnancy, but the terminology and outlook are changing.
Inter-rectile distance is normal and core training (including planks) is often safe and helpful to approximate the muscles.

ADVICE

Modify Strength Work Intelligently

Continue loaded strength training but favor 12–14 rep ranges to protect looser joints in pregnancy.
Modify overhead or biomechanically stressful positions as pregnancy progresses.

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Should women think differently about training and weightlifting when they're pregnant and post-partum?

In this episode, Olympian Shannon Rowbury and her physical therapist Jessica Dorrington explain the specific training needs of pregnant and post-partum women, including:

Exercise that's advised vs. not recommended
How to modify training as pregnancy evolves
The role of strength training during pregnancy
Post-partum recovery strategies
How to prepare for perimenopause through training

Their new book, Strong as a Mother, is also available to preorder!

Thank you MOBO Board!

Invented by renowned physical therapist Jay Dicharry, MOBO helps you stabilize your stance with an innovative rocker board that's set up on two fins. The design effectively forces you to drive your big toe into the board to improve your stability. I was pretty arrogant going into my first session on the MOBO Board. How hard can it be to balance, right? Well, I was humbled pretty quickly!

Even if you're a good runner, better balance, stability, and proprioception is going to help you have a more powerful stride and prevent more running injuries. You'll learn how to improve the efficiency of the kinetic chain from your hip to your big toe. Because as Jay likes to say, it's not just how strong you are, but how well you use that strength.

I was recently at a weekend physical therapy workshop (lol I was the only running coach) and learned how important (and rare) this simple movement is. Save 10% with code STRENGTHRUN10 at checkout at moboboard.com.

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Since 2010, Strength Running has helped runners around the world improve their performances with our evidence based programs. Join tens of thousands of runners and invest in yourself with proven training and direct access to Jason for coaching questions

Give yourself the gift of certainty this new year and get your running, strength training, nutrition, and mindset on the right track. Get it today at strengthrunning.com/bundle/